A LEADING academic is calling for increased awareness of the growing threat of chemical or biological terrorist attacks.

Peter Blain, professor of environmental medicine at Newcastle University, wants measures put in place to ensure public safety if strikes using chemical and biological (CB) agents were launched.

Addressing the faculty of occupational medicine's annual scientific meeting at the Royal College of Physicians, in London, Prof Blain said: "Preventing or minimising the effects of chemical terrorism on society requires resilience to be increased in all those infrastructures, services and agencies upon which modern societies depend.

"The acquisition of CB agents by terrorists is a realistic possibility as the necessary expertise is widely available."

He added: "The likely scenarios of a terrorist CB attack include contamination of food and water sources, distributing systems such as postal services or money, or the initiation of infectious disease outbreaks and chemical releases.

"CB terrorism will remain a significant global problem as developments in science and technology extend the nature of the threat."